A winter warmer – hot apple toddy

This addition to the alcohol free recipes is a straight adaptation of a Scandinavian winter ‘toddy’ that is traditionally served with alcohol. (Calvados  and cider are typical additions.) My version is alcohol free – so a good choice for the nominated driver or non-drinker.

It’s really easy – take a carton of clear apple juice or a bottle of that lovely cloudy home pressed juice you can get at farmer’s markets, and place in a saucepan over a steady heat. Grate in a 1/2 tsp. of nutmeg and add 1 – 2 tsps. of allspice berries. Bring up to a ‘just-boiling’ then turn off the heat. Do not allow to simmer – you need to retain the apple juice’s sharp/sweet balance and boiling seems to mess this up royally.

Slice a small apple into a large serving jug (heatproof if possible – or use a strong glass jug with a large metal spoon in it and stand the jug on a wooden board. It prevents the jug cracking and no – I have no idea why but it works with jam and chutney bottling so the same laws of physics apply here.

Pour hot (not boiling) juice through a strainer into the jug. That’s it – told you it was easy!

 

Qype: Barn The Restaurant Pub in Tunbridge Wells

Tunbridge Wells – Eating & Drinking – Restaurants

I make no apologies for this – somebody needs to be told…
The Barn is a centrally located pub in TW and benefits from the local businesses in the area so is usually busy at lunchtimes (when I’ve been as it’s close to our offices). I can’t comment on the evening trade however.
On each occasion the food has been appalling – not just ‘below average’ pub grub but flat out disgusting. On my first visit the pizza I ordered (‘Spicy pepper’) was actually wet…don’t ask me how they did this…and the (cheddar) cheese topping was hardly melted. Under this vulcanised crust of Cathedral City lay a AT LEAST 2 raw bell peppers sliced into chunks. As a final flourish the kitchen had garnished the entire (tepid) topping with the entire contents of a jar of Jalapeno chilies. On collecting my barely touched plate the waiter kept a stony faced experssion of total dis-interest and whipped away the plate before i could open my mouth and mutter ‘withold my compliments tothe kitchen’. I have been back several times since on ‘corporate’ get together lunches – last week the seasonal menu was launched and now features the ‘All Day Breakfast Pizza’. My homemade burger with stilton came with a side of carbonised chips 9as did the other 3 we ordered) and a burger made from low-grade watery mince which oozed industrial grease as you picked it up – tasted of nothing – and was topped off with the crusty arse end of a stilton wedge which hadn’t even melted. Oh – a colleague who went for he ’safe’ option of a caesar salad was intrigued to see the kitchen had – in typical signature style – tipped the entire contents of a jar of capers on top of the salad rendering it inedible and soaked in bitter vinegar.
It can’t possibly get any worse…but I’m going back only to see what the Christmas menu promises!

Check out my review of Barn The Restaurant Pub – I am baldrick – on Qype

 

Qype: Green Chillie in Tunbridge Wells

Tunbridge Wells – Eating & Drinking – Fastfood & Takeaway – Indian

I have to agree with steveizz – and as this is technically our ‘local’ we’ve had a few takeaways with mixed results. First – why doesn’t it smell like an Indian restaurant? I sometimes walk past during the day and would expect to get that ‘tandoor’ warm up smell – but nothing. Same inside. I suspect the food may be shipped in and microwaved to order – but that doesn’t explain the lengthy waiting that steviezz experienced (our hasn’t been too bad though). The food is ‘old school’ indan – heavy, lots of ‘gravy’ and big portions of everything. Unfortunately I also have had the old-school ‘morning after’ squits. The kids love it however and their Korma always gets good reviews from the girls. Naan’s are fresh and good quality – but – where are they making the food?
On a positive note they do free home delivery and give £2 money off vouchers for orders over £30. Unfortunately the local competition (Kirthon, Spice Club, Junaki, Langton Tandoori) will be hard to beat unless they really turn up the quality burners.

Check out my review of Green Chillie – I am baldrick – on Qype

 

St. JOHN TV – DOUGHNUTS, PORK PIES and MORE.

http://www.stjohnrestaurant.co.uk/st_john_tv/

A couple o f quirky snippets from Fergus Henderson’s kitchens.

 

Here’s a new thing I’m trying from Ping.fm – so far – impressed.

 

Speedy peanut noodles

Thai Peanut Noodles

Image via Wikipedia

Full credit to ‘Our Best Bites’ for this superb noodle recipe. Simple ingredients combined with a twist.

Serve the dish as-is or – as we did – marinade cooked (chilled) prawns in lime juice and chilli and stir these through the noodles once the dish has been assembled. This creates contrast between the cold spicy prawns, the warm sweet & spicy noodles and the crunchy peanut dressing.

Thai Peanut Noodles

1/2 c. chicken broth
3 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter (I have used used crunchy which was fine)
1-2 tsp. chili sauce (1 is mild with a bite, 1.5 is medium, 2 is hot)
1 1/2 Tbsp. honey
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh minced ginger
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
8 oz. Udon or soba noodles
Chopped spring onions
Chopped cilantro/coriander
2 limes, cut into quarters
Chopped peanuts

Cook noodles in salted water. In the meantime, combine chicken broth, peanut butter, chili sauce, honey, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk until smooth and remove from heat. Toss cooked noodles with sauce and divide among 4 bowls. Sprinkle with green onions, cilantro, chopped peanuts, and garnish each serving with 2 lime quarters. Before eating, squeeze lime juice over noodles and stir to combine.

 

Soy sauce, soya sauce or Shoyu!

A debate has broken out here in the office on the merits of the various soy/soya/shoyu sauces. As someone who rarely uses it as a condiment for dressing food (other than in Asian salad dressings) I’m pretty neutral – once it’s in a sauce and cooked I can’t tell any difference. I have 3 brands in the kitchen – including Kikkoman. Here’s where the debate stemmed from.

Is Kikkoman really the prince of soy sauces? A tricky one – especially if you consider the varieties from different cultures (with ‘respek’  to Wikipedia)

Types

• 3.1 Chinese soy sauce
• 3.2 Indonesian soy sauce
• 3.3 Malaysian soy sauce
• 3.4 Japanese soy sauce
• 3.5 Korean soy sauce
• 3.6 Taiwanese soy sauce
• 3.7 Vietnamese soy sauce
• 3.8 Filipino toyo
• 3.9 Hawaiian shoyu

I’d be very interested to hear anyone’s thoughts – Kikkoman makes claim to tbe the premium brand – can this be upheld or is it marketing hype?

 

Student cuisine

Like many parents up and down the country we’re adjusting to the absence of our eldest daughter as she starts her first year at University. We’re reminded of her every day as we walk past her bedroom door. Thankfully technology keeps us in regular contact – chatting on-line and regular phone calls keeps us re-assured that she’s safe and enjoying her new ‘big adventure’.

She has made friends with her ‘room-mates’ in Halls of Residence and she has mentioned they are collaborating in the shared kitchen – so hopefully she is eating a decent diet. Which brings me to the reason for this posting – student cookery – and a really terrific initiative by a couple of undergraduates who have written a cookbook for students (a cookbook by students, for students, as they put it). The book – Sorted – is the brainchild of Ben Ebbrell (final year student of culinary arts management) and his mates. recipes, cocktail mixing (see the website for great videos of synchronised cocktail mixing…)and even a ‘how to get drunk’ chapter will make this a good addition to the usual ‘eating on a budget’ offerings.

Inspired by this I have decided to join with the cause and use Presto Pronto as a source of recipe ideas and cooking techniques for my daughter and her friends. It should also give this blog a better sense of purpose which has, if I’m being honest, been generally lacking since I started it!

 

A weekend away

Time to get back on the water. A break from the land-locked drudgery of the office, soaring petrol prices, the falling property market and reality-bloody-TV. Tomorrow we pack our victuals and drive to Gosport to pick up the 46 footer Lady Nadia (see pic). There’s a few days training and ‘drills’ then we’re over to Cowes for the round-the-island race (which reportedly can take around 12 hours to complete. A gang of chaps (10 in all) many of whom I haven’t met (actually 8 of them) should make for a fun week. We are booking in to several local restaurants along the coast so I’ll be updating here with reports once I’m back ashore.

Avast me hearties, til next time!

 

Qype: Wagamama in London

London – Restaurants – Other Asian – Vietnamese

Wagga’s generates a diversity of opinions as this busy thread can testify! For many of us it was probably the ‘way in’ to noodles – I can remember the raves that accompanied the opening of the very first Wags in London. Granted it lacks originality and integrity but it is dependable. And if you want the real deal, then wherever lurks a Waggas, there also will ye find a pukka noodle bar (in my case the wonderful Kitsu).

Check out my review of Wagamama – I am baldrick – on Qype